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Mercy Housing California converts OC nunnery into 50 affordable homes

Nonprofit developer joins Sisters of St. Joseph to build senior facility

Mercy Housing California's Doug Shoemaker; General Superior of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange's Sister Mary Beth Ingham; 480 South Batavia Street
Mercy Housing California's Doug Shoemaker; General Superior of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange's Sister Mary Beth Ingham; 480 South Batavia Street (Google Maps, Getty, Loyola Marymount University, Mercy Housing)

UPDATED: JUNE 16 at 1:45 P.M.:

Mercy Housing California has teamed up with Catholic nuns in Orange County to convert a former convent into 50 affordable homes for seniors.

The San Francisco-based nonprofit developer and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange are redeveloping the nuns’ three-story Motherhouse at 480 South Batavia Street in Orange, the Orange County Register reported.

The convent, built in 1958, will become 50 apartments for low-income seniors, including 18 homes reserved for formerly homeless senior residents.

The project, known as Villa St. Joseph, includes renovations to the former nunnery, including a  new main entrance, offices, a community room and shared laundry facilities, according to a news release. The facility once housed 60 nuns.

“We couldn’t have found a better use,” Sister Mary Beth Ingham, who once lived in the Motherhouse, told the Register. “It is a wonderful opportunity for us to offer a place of wholeness and healing and health for those most in need.”

The project, designed by 19six Architects of San Luis Obispo, is expected to be completed next year.

It’s part of the Sisters of St. Joseph’s larger 11-acre campus next to Providence St. Joseph Hospital. It includes other residences for current and retired sisters, a Sacred Heart Chapel, welcome center, justice center, various ministries and lawns, walking paths and trees.

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Mercy Housing California, a unit of Denver-based Mercy Housing, serves as the project’s developer and is partnering with the county’s Older Adult Behavioral Health department to provide support services. 

Mercy Housing California has helped build more than 20,000 affordable homes across the state, according to its website.

The $37 million Villa St. Joseph project received $5.6 million in loans from the state Department of Housing and Community Development, $6.1 million in loans from various county sources and $1.6 million in loans from the City of Orange.

The largest chunk of private financing comes from UnitedHealth Group, which is providing $16.3 million in equity through a tax credit partnership with Enterprise Housing Credit Investments.

The Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange are providing a $5.7 million loan and are leasing the property to Mercy Housing.

Correction: Previous story misidentified the number of homes Mercy Housing California has built.

— Dana Bartholomew

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Mercy Housing CaliforniaSisters of St. Joseph of Orange
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Affordable HousingSenior Housing